What is considered a Dental Emergency?
If you have ever suffered from a toothache you will know that it is one of the most painful things you could experience. There really is no pain quite like it. Toothache is a pain that most people cannot cope with, or bear for long. It is a pain that makes most people go straight to the dentist within a few hours. Even people who are normally scared of the dentist will be driven there by a toothache.
In the UK, cover for dental emergencies is quite good. Most large towns will have a dental surgery that provides an out of hours service for dental emergencies.
However, despite this some people hesitate before calling one of these dentists. In most cases, they do so, because they are not sure that the problem they have is actually an emergency. This leads to some unnecessarily pain and suffering. People even end up losing healthy teeth. Therefore, it is important to recognise a dental emergency and see a dentist.
The Two Types of Dental Emergency
There are two main types of dental emergency. The first occurs when you suffer a blow to your mouth that dislodges a tooth. In this situation, you really should see a dentist as soon as possible. A tooth that is loose with the nerve still attached can usually be put back into place and saved. Leaving it until after the weekend could result in a perfectly healthy tooth being lost. Seeing a dentist sooner rather than later also considerably reduces the risk of an abscess or infection.
The other main type of dental emergency is an infection. If you get an infection in your mouth it is wise to treat it sooner rather than later. If you allow an infection to take hold, it can lead to you loosing teeth and, potentially, not being able to eat properly. In the elderly or very young, this can be serious. Generally, they cannot afford to get ill like this and are not really equipped to cope with the resulting infection, nutritional deficit and weight loss.
If you are in any doubt, it is worth calling the dentist. Emergency dentists prefer people to call if they have a problem and get the advice they need rather than suffer in silence.
